Does double strike and deathtouch kill a larger defender on first strike
Asked by heinrichdk 8 years ago
If i have a 4/4 Savageborn Hydra and a Bow of Nylea in play and i attack the defending player has a 5/5 creature he blocks will the hydra kill it on first strike or will he kill the hydra in normal damage and if i give my hydra trample can i assign 1 damage to the defending creature and the other 7 to trample?
Epochalyptik says... #2
This is just technical nitpicking, but the "first combat damage step" is not a technical term. Rather, if a creature with first strike or double strike is involved in combat at the end of the declare blockers step, then only the creatures with those abilities deal damage in the combat damage step. Then, if any creatures remain that have neither ability, that have double strike, or that gained first strike after combat damage was deal in the previous combat damage step creatures that lost double strike or first strike after dealing damage in the previous combat damage step are ignored), then an additional combat damage step is created to handle those creatures.
Raging_Squiggle says... Accepted answer #1
Whenever a creature has first/double strike, an extra combat damage step is created called the First Combat Damage Step (FCDS). During that step, only creatures with first/double strike deal combat damage. Then in the regular combat damage step, creatures with double strike and creatures that did not have double strike since attacking deal their damage.
With deathtouch, any amount of damage is considered lethal damage, so in the FCDS, Savageborn Hydra will deal 4 deathtouch damage to the blocking 5/5, killing it before the regular combat damage step begins. Then in the regular combat damage step, the Hydra will deal 0 damage to the player because it was considered blocked, even though the blocking creature has already died.
If the Hydra has trample, you may assign exactly 1 damage deathtouch to the 5/5 in the FCDS, and the remaining 3 damage to the defending player. Then, in the regular combat damage step, you assign the next 4 damage directly to the player since the 5/5 died in the FCDS.
February 3, 2016 2:47 a.m.